Trashbubu Workshop (Sofia Archer & Mónica Rikić)

On March 21st, I joined the first anniversary of the Sofia Archer Lab. I didn’t want to miss the Trashbubus workshop, where Mónica Rikić collaborated with Sofia Archer in their lab, offering a space for experimentation using textile waste and electronic circuits.

At Sofia’s lab, participants began by choosing a template and the textiles they wanted to use for their charms. At the same time, Mónica prepared the batteries, LEDs, and conductive thread they would use to bring light to their creations.

It wasn’t an introductory workshop on sewing or basic electronics. The collaboration between Sofia and Mónica fostered a genuine conversation and opened a space where participants could share knowledge and power, in the sense proposed by bell hooks [1].

It was a space open to experimentation: moments of surprise appeared when a light turned on while sewing the circuit, joy in seeing the final result, and also instances of improvisation and change when some steps didn’t go as expected.

[1]"Conversation is always about giving. Genuine conversation is about the sharing of power and knowledge; it is fundamentally a cooperative enterprise." - Teaching critical thinking: Practical Wisdom, bell hooks (2010).